There's a discussion going on in a FanPost at right which I thought I'd respond to in today's post. Here's the original post:

I just tried this workout for the first time before I tell you how it went let me tell you a little bit about myself. I'm 46 I'm 6' tall and weigh 230-235. I've worked out off on for years never ever sticking with it...I've been working out 5 days a week and doing stuff like squats and deadlifts. So 5 months later I still weigh the same can't rid myself of this gut. I can see more muscle and i am stronger than I ever have been but that gut and my weight are still there, So I decided to try this 10 sets of 10, I have read you can add 10 pounds of muscle in 6 weeks. Well I don't really want to be heavier but I thought maybe I could eliminate this middle age spread around my waist. Let me tell you it was harder than I thought it would be....Should I continue on with the 10 sets of 10 or try something different?

There's an extended discussion that follows with some back-and-forthing about what the most effective exercise program is for fat loss, and a comment or two about how this site doesn't get much traffic.

On that topic, to paraphrase Spinal Tap, I just think my fan base is very selective.

The 10 x 10 system the poster is alluding to, also known as German Volume Training, is described at length here, and is allegedly very effective for packing on muscle. I say "allegedly" because I haven't tried it and haven't had any of my clients do it as it is indeed very hardcore and generally not in line with the goals of my clients.

I would further add that if you're going to spend a lot of time on such a program your recovery, nutrition, sleep, and general life-stress have got to be seriously in line, or you will self-destruct. As I said, I haven't tried it, but it doesn't take a PhD to see that these training parameters are pretty out there.

To the OP's question.

The notion that "more muscle = less fat" has some truth to it, as muscle tissue is indeed metabolically more active than fat and does indeed burn more calories.  That would seem like an indication that building lots of muscle burns you lots of free calories. But the margin isn't significant: add ten pound of muscle to your frame and your RMR skyrockets up by just about 50 calories a day.  That buys you about five M&M's, so enjoy them.

The point is that adding large amounts of extra muscle in MOST cases, WON'T automatically turn you into a lean, mean, fightin' machine. There are plenty of big, strong guys out there whose physiques are adequate illustrations of that fact. Here are two right now, in fact!

So if you want to lose fat, I would NOT advise going on an intense muscle-building program. Not only because their fat-loss value is questionable, but because you've got to eat everything that isn't nailed down in order for such a program (10 pounds of muscle in 6 weeks!) to work, which is not conducive to fat loss.

Knowing very little about the OP's history, but knowing he's a big guy, I'd wager he's on the endo-meso side of things, body-type-wise.

Instead of doing a lot of bulking-style workouts, I agree with the poster who suggested faster-paced, lighter weight training, of a circuit variety. That may be my bias, but it does work. It's also very different from what the OP has done to this point, and that alone may very well help to shake things up.

One caveat: MANY people go TOO easy on their weights and intensity in this kind of workout. Do it right and you'll practically pass out after one round--not that that's the goal but it does have a cardiovascular component as long as you keep your rest periods very short. They really shouldn't BE rest periods, per se--just the time it takes to walk briskly from one station to the next without running into anyone or anything, unless he/she is very attractive, has been leering suggestively at you all day, and has no apparent communicable diseases.

In addition-as someone else noted--I'd add some high-intensity interval training: sprints, fast bike intervals, stair climbing. You can throw these things in between circuit-training rounds.

The point is, get your body moving, and moving fast and for an extended period, doing a variety of high-intensity moves in the 10-12 RM range. Speed, and huffing and puffing, should be your goals, rather than moving big weights.

One final note: psychologically, it can be hard to leave behind a system or a habit, particularly one which has worked well for you in the past. The worry-which I'm all too familiar with-is that you'll backslide, lose all the gains you've made, and wind up with nothing to show for your efforts. So you think, well, I've got to keep lifting heavy AND do all this fast and crazy cardio-style stuff that everyone keeps suggesting.

I don't run around with a tape measure, but in my experience, you don't lose all that much muscle when you back off a little and re-orient your training towards fat loss. You may indeed lose some, but the improvement in your looks from the fat loss will be significant. Moreover, you'll probably find yourself much less sore and debilitated by a 3x/week full-body circuit with some HIIT thrown in than you were by the 10 X 10 system.

Good luck!

A